Ball Above the Feet

The other day I was playing and came across a very difficult lie and I thought…wow what a chance to write something for my site! What makes golf such a challenging game is that it always provides mental and physical obstacles, both good and bad. Just think how mundane, ordinary golf would be if it didn’t provide you the opportunity to say “hey this is one tough shot”.  So here are a few ways to take the difficult lie and make it playable.

Ball above your feet

I had hit my drive to the right side, like I usually do (since my ball flight is a right to left draw). The problem was that it stayed straight. That left me with a very difficult second shot on a frightening par 5…Seven Bridges GC hole # 12. My ball ended up perched on a mound protecting a fairway bunker.  When I surveyed the shot, I was beginning to feel a little “light” headed. Seems my ball decided to remain on the mound instead of rolling two feet down into the bunker. My main problem was that my stance would place me in the bunker. The ball would be about belly high, and I had to navigate about 100 yards of rough and water.

The shot was one of the most demanding, obstinate hangers I have had the misfortune of attempting….this is how I planned to escape.

Process the Situation

The first thing is to process the situation. Look for the easiest way out of trouble. Sometimes it’s easier said than done, but you need to look at all possibilities. In my case the only opportunity to forward the ball was straight away. Trees blocked my escape to the right, and I couldn’t go directly left.

Blocked out Right

As my feet were going to be in the bunker, I didn’t have a stable foundation. Balance is key to making this shot work, so I knew that I had very little in the way of “error”. When the ball is above your feet, the shot will come out moving “left” of the target. This is due to the very flat swing arc, so you must do two things.

• Aim right
• Add loft to the shot by using a lofted club

I selected an 8 iron and focused on moving the ball about 100 yards down fairway. My swing thoughts were to just make a smooth swing, remain balanced and “clip” the ball. I didn’t want to take much of a divot. I dug my feet into the sand bunker and increased the width of my stance. I’d like to say that I hit a perfect shot…I didn’t. But I did manage to get the ball out of a tricky hanging lie…and moved it towards the hole by about 6o yards. I had done exactly what I wanted…GET THE BALL OUT OF TROUBLE.  Sure it wasn’t the way I planned the shot to shape…but it allowed me to make a great third shot.

Keys to Playing a Ball above your feet

• Aim Right! The ball will move to the left as the swing will be flat and becomes flatter in relation to the distance the ball is above your feet, it is almost impossible to hit it right
• Widen your stance, it’s all about balance
• Use more loft, the ball will travel a longer distance due to it “hooking”
• Focus on making “clean” contact, try to limit the amount of divot taken if you can
• Give your next shot a chance (I buried a 4 iron from 204 out and almost made a great birdie, missed a 10 footer)

When you get a difficult “hanger” of a lie, just figure out what will allow you to hit a great next shot!